Korea Hiking Tours & Mountain Trails

Korea Help me decide mountain trails

Hiking is a national passion in Korea. You will find individuals taking in the healthful mountain air, detoxing from stressful urban lives, but also a great many groups of families and friends enjoying this as a shared activity. And it’s fun to note, that like skiing, fashion rules on the slopes. This is an opportunity to look good, so bring your shades and brands.

Honesty, safety and social responsibility are watchwords of Korean interactions. Hikers will collect litter, share snacks like kimbap (rice rolls) and makgeolli (a cider-like fermented rice drink) and provide helpful advice and conversation. Typically, mountains will be dotted with traditional temples and pavilions, peopled by devout followers so please be respectful.

Koreans hike year-round, but are particularly taken by the spring blossom (particularly of cherry trees) and the turning of the leaves in autumn (particularly of maple). Expect to find hikers genuinely moved by the beauty of these and other sights as they re-connect with nature.

Thanks for the excellent service and kind attention.

R. F., Brazil

experiences

Enriching Your Trip

Coastal hiking trail

Haenyeo Divers

See South Korea Your Way

This itinerary is merely a suggestion and should be used to frame a dialogue on your bespoke itinerary. We will customize this to your interests and requirements so that you see each destination the way you want.

Hiking provides a good perspective to explore Korea. Mountain temples reveal spiritual aspects, and then a relaxing afternoon Korean bathhouse visit introduces a different element of local life. As well as an urban hike – climbing Bukhan mountain in Seoul – you will travel to two sacred mountains at Seorak and Jiri, and then in Jeju ramble through volcanic features along the coastal trail and to a crater.

Start Your Journey Today

Day 01

Arrive in Seoul

Going out for a stroll on your day of arrival is said to help with jetlag. Those with the inclination might roam through the labyrinthine alleyways that run from Insadong northwards to Bukchon, taking in the many cultural artefacts, cafés, restaurants and shops in this traditional area. Have fun!

Day 02

Gyeongbok Palace and Old Town

This morning, take in Gyeongbok Palace, the largest and most important of Seoul's five royal palaces. The beautiful area around it, once reserved for nobility only, is on the menu for the afternoon.

Day 03

Hiking And Eating In Seoul

Few world capitals feature their own mountain to hike. Our mountain guide will choose a trail suited to your ability and group profile. This afternoon we visit the Tiktok-famed street snacks at Gwangjang Market. This is not an over-touristed European food market - locals not tourists are feasting on the delicious food here. Check out the mung bean pancakes.

Day 04

Drive to Seorak Mountain

On the way to sacred Buddhist Seorak Mountain, we stop at Japanese architect Tadao Andao-designed contemporary art Museum San. Founded by family members of the Hansol (paper and chemicals) conglomerate or chaebol, we will view the paper and contemporary art exhibitions here. The stone garden is particularly notable.

Day 05

Buddhist Mountain Temple, Statue and Grottes

Seorak Mountain is the most storied Buddhist peak in Korean culture. We will have the opportunity to hike the famed Ulsanbawi peak and take the cable car up to Gwongeumseong Peak. Along the way, we will stop at a temple with a huge Buddha statue and poke our noses into a grotto concealed behind ancient rock carvings.

Day 06

Drive to Guryongsa Temple and on to Jeonju

After just over an hour you'll be hiking in and around ancient Guryongsa Temple in Chiaksan national park, another mountainous area, before heading to Jeonju, the ancestral home of the Joseon royal line. You will explore the hanok traditional village and savor the exquisite favors of the gastronomical home of Korean cuisine.

Day 07

Hike Jiri Mountain

Wherever you are in South Korea, you are never far from a mountain trail. Before hiking famed Jiri mountain, we will visit Hwaeom Temple, built in the sixth century and considered one of the country's most beautiful. The temple's stone sculptures date to its founding and have come to be associated with notions of Korean national resistance.

Day 08

Royal Clan Hall and Fly to Jeju Island

At this morning's visit to Gyeonggijeon Shrine, you will see the likeness of the Joseon King and learn the commanding significance of such images when they were conveyed to provincial centers. In the afternoon we depart of Jeju Island.

Day 09

Hiking the coastal trail

So much of our hiking has been mountainous that in Jeju rather than turning to the volcanic mountain at its center, we partake of a section of the Olle coastal trail that cross-crosses the island. After you will have a chance to revitalize your weary limbs at a traditional bathhouse in a uniquely local experience.

Day 10

Dine With Haenyeo Divers

Jeju is intimately associated with the Haenyeo Female Divers who have made their living for centuries collecting seafood from the ocean floor. You will meet and dine on traditional local seafood recipes with ladies skilled in this ancient trade. In the late afternoon as the sun sets, we enjoy our last short hike around the circumference of a volcanic crater that juts out into the East Sea.

Day 11

Departure

This morning we head to the airport on the northern side of the island to return home. Apart from fabulous trails in Seoul and on three sacred mountains, you have will have seen many of the country's most significant cultural sites. In addition, I suspect, you will have communed with many friendly locals themselves engaged in a much-loved and practiced national pastime. "Beyond the mountains are mountains" they say here.

Recommended interests

After your time spent exploring Mountain Trails you may want to consider these other recommended interests

Arts & Culture

Korea's vibrant crafts scene from ceramics to gold & silverwork to lacquerware date back thousands of years. Meet with artisans designated as national treasures. Visit contemporary art galleries and meet up and coming artists.

Culinary

From guided local market tours to Michelin starred fine dining, from cooking lessons to celebrity chefs including masters of kimchi and fermented sauces, delve into the very best of Korean food.

Family

South Korea offers a smorgasbord of activities to suit all interests from e-sports to arts & crafts along with k-pop dance lessons, baseball games, go-karting, amusement parks, Squid games and more.

Women & Wellness

K-beauty has taken the world by storm.  Meet with specialists, indulge in a headspa or an innovative skin treatment, and shop to your hearts content at stylish home design and fashion boutiques.

Korea Inquiry

Complete our inquiry form and an Itinerary Designer will get back to you shortly therafter. We make every effort to tailor your South Korea holiday to your unique travel style, needs, interests and preferences. The more detailed information you can give us now, the better we can help design the perfect bespoke itinerary for you.

General Inquiries
SouthKorea@imperialtours.net

Korea Inquiry

Comments

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Full Name(Required)

Email Address(Required)

Country of Origin

Number of People in your Party

Approximate Arrival and Departure Dates

Destinations of Interest

Seoul

Busan

Gyeongju

Juju

Seoraksan

Jeonju

Tell us about your traveling style

I prefer to see as much as I can

I prefer to include some free time

How did you hear about Imperial Tours?

MOUNTAIN TRAILS

experiences